1 hurt in natural gas blast at Washington plant

An explosion and fire at a Williams Northwest Pipeline plant near the Washington-Oregon border have injured one worker and prompted evacuations at the facility and at nearby homes.

Company spokeswoman Michele Swaner says all employees were evacuated and accounted for after the explosion Monday morning at the Plymouth, Wash., plant, where liquefied natural gas is converted into vapor. She says one employee was burned but will recover.

Benton County Emergency Operations spokeswoman Carol Cimrhakl says people in a 2-mile radius of the plant are being evacuated.

The Tri-City Herald reports Highway 14 through Plymouth is being closed.

The fire was still burning at 10 a.m. Swaner says it's too early to determine the extent of the damage or how it happened.

Williams operates two liquefied natural gas tanks at Plymouth, which is across the Columbia River from Umatilla, Ore.